Add Qualcomm and Ethertronics, a supplier of embedded antennas and RF components for mobile devices, to companies opposing an ATSC 3.0 reception in smartphones requirement and saying an FCC mandate would be a bad idea. The issue has been a hotbed for discussion in docket 16-142 for the past 10 days as the commission works toward meeting its self-imposed deadline of releasing by year-end an order authorizing voluntary deployment of 3.0 (see 1709180039). Qualcomm “broadly agrees” with T-Mobile’s Sept. 11 white paper (see 1709120020) detailing “significant challenges associated with supporting ATSC 3.0 reception in new mobile devices.” The chipmaker said “any proposal to mandate that mobile devices incorporate support for ATSC 3.0 should be out of the question.” Requiring 3.0 support in mobile devices “would unduly impact device performance, the efficient use of spectrum, and mobile device competition,” said the company. “ATSC 3.0 receiver operation can cause interference to 4G LTE and 5G radios operating in the same device." Ethertronics said challenges of “incorporating both 600 MHz LTE and ATSC 3.0 technologies” in a single smartphone are “substantial.” There are “practical limits to the acceptable size” of a mobile device that consumers will be “willing to purchase,” it said.
The Telecommunications Industry Association said it agreed to combine with QuEST Forum, an information communication and technology association, and more alliances are possible. The combined tech group will focus on IoT and related areas, such as smart cities, network virtualization and the transition to the cloud, TIA and the forum announced Tuesday. Forum CEO Fraser Pajak will be an officer of the new organization and will report directly to TIA CEO Wes Johnston, with the groups' boards combined into one, said a Q&A. A spokesman told us and online materials say no job cuts are now planned. With six staffers from the forum, TIA will have about 45 total employees, he said. Johnston was named head of TIA earlier this year (see the personals section of the June 6 issue of this publication), after an interim CEO followed Scott Belcher leaving after about two years (see 1702010030). More alliances are possible, online materials said Tuesday: "Current strategic alliances are being evaluated, and new ones being formed" and "we will continue to explore opportunities to expand value for our community through new partnerships and alliances, or when appropriate, through mergers and acquisitions." The combination is "reflecting" the consolidation that "naturally happened in the industry" and within the membership, said telecom industry consultant Grant Seiffert, head of TIA 2007 through 2014, in an interview. "In the past, TIA has merged with other organizations to provide synergies and like-minded services." Overlapping members (here and here) include big ISPs like AT&T and Verizon, and device maker/suppliers like Cisco and Nokia. The merger, subject to ratification of a definitive agreement, is expected to close in Q4, the groups said. The forum's focus includes ways for companies to be environmentally friendly and some standards.
The FCC extended comment deadlines by two weeks on a Form 477 Further NPRM proposing to update broadband and voice service data submission duties. Initial comments and replies are now due Oct. 9 and Oct. 24 (instead of Sept. 25 and Oct. 10), said an order Tuesday from the Wireline, Wireless and International bureaus in docket 11-10. The American Cable Association, NCTA, NTCA, USTelecom and the Wireless ISP Association asked for a four-week extension to Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, citing recent hurricane disruption (see 1709130046).
The FCC deactivated the Disaster Information Reporting System for Hurricane Irma at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s request, said a Public Safety Bureau in a public notice Monday. That leaves Monday’s DIRS report the final one for Irma (see 1709180034), the PN said. The FCC “anticipates that, within the next couple of days, FEMA will likely request activation of DIRS for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” the PN said, and a separate notice will be issued. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised the dependability of AM radio in disasters but conceded that the band is perceived as outdated. “Whenever these emergencies hit, listenership goes through the roof,” Pai said in a radio interview in iHeartMedia’s Miami headquarters during a visit to Irma-damaged Florida with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “You guys do a terrific job giving people the information when they need it,” he said. Younger listeners don’t gravitate to AM, and “time is not on the side of the AM dial,” Pai said, but he said he and Clyburn are working to improve things for AM. “A bipartisan majority at the FCC” believes in AM radio, Pai said. It's “critically important” for broadcasters to have an FCC that supports them, Clyburn said. Broadcasters should know that the FCC is thinking about their issues and the emergency services they provide, she said. Clyburn and Pai also toured a public safety building, and met with a Florida public service commissioner and staff from the FCC’s Miami Field Office, said a news release. They spoke with a team restoring cell towers and other wireless infrastructure damaged during the storm, it said. “The lessons learned during our visit will help the FCC’s continued work to improve the performance of communications networks in future emergencies,” Pai said in the release, praising emergency and wireless workers, plus broadcasters. There's “much more work to be done in the days and weeks ahead, including in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where more than 50% of cell sites remain out of service,” said Clyburn in the release. “Working with my colleagues, Members of Congress, as well as state and local officials, we can translate these lessons into policies that ensure our nation’s communications networks and 9-1-1 systems remain reliable and resilient during disasters.” The FCC added a briefing on its response to the recent hurricanes to the agenda for the Sept. 26 commissioners' meeting, said a notice. The briefing will be done by Public Safety Bureau staff, the notice said.
T-Mobile and Sprint are again in talks on combining in an all-stock deal, with their shares closing up 5.9 percent and 6.8 percent respectively Tuesday. CNBC reported no announcement is likely for weeks. The structure reportedly is complicated, but would put T-Mobile CEO John Legere in charge with Masayoshi Son, CEO of Sprint parent SoftBank, having a say in decisions. A T-Mobile/Sprint is seen as having a good chance of approval by the Trump DOJ and FCC (see 1612090053). In 2014, under pressure from then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Sprint dropped its pursuit of T-Mobile (see 1408070044). The companies didn’t comment. “This is a different kind of [DOJ] Antitrust Division,” analyst Jim Cramer said on CNBC Tuesday. “I think this goes through.” Weeks ago, "we put 50/50 odds on approval,” Craig Moffett, analyst at MoffettNathanson, emailed. “That seems like a reasonable starting point. There are good arguments for why it should be approved. But there are also good arguments for why it shouldn’t.” New Street analyst Kirk Boodry said on Bloomberg Tuesday a Sprint/T-Mobile is probably “much more likely” than a deal between Sprint and Charter. “What you get with T-Mobile is a lot of synergies,” he said. In a presentation last week at a Goldman Sachs financial conference, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said he was “heavily, heavily advised” by lawyers not to comment on potential deals. “We are always evaluating options,” Claure said. “We think, ‘Which is the one that's going to generate the highest shareholder return or create more shareholder value.’” Sprint operations and financials improved in the past three years, Claure said. “That has allowed us to have several different options.” Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche said if talks are underway again, it explains why the usually “outspoken” Claure was so reticent in his comments. “The equity market seemed to be to be pricing a scenario where Softbank would have to put in equity to close a deal,” she said in a note to investors. “We do not see this as a logical outcome.”
The FTC is targeting "consumer informational injury" in privacy and data security cases, said acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, announcing a Dec. 12 workshop. "The goal is to inform our case selection and enforcement choices," she said in an FCBA speech Tuesday. She said the FTC takes "very seriously" its privacy and data security enforcement role, having brought more than 500 related cases, including six settlements in the past month with Uber (see 1708150010), TaxSlayer (see 1708290042), Lenovo (see 1709050020) and three companies to uphold the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement (see 1709080025). The "case-by-case" approach to countering deceptive or unfair actions, she said, allows the commission to adapt "in the complex, fast changing technology industry" where consumers have "disparate and evolving expectations." Looking for patterns, Ohlhausen identified consumer informational injury of: "deception injury or subverting consumer choice," in which consumers are misled through claims about privacy or security features; "financial injury," in which "fraudsters" use private data to steal money; "health or safety injury," including from stalkers or revenge porn; "unwarranted intrusion injury," which led to the FTC's Do Not Call registry; and "reputational injury," which usually overlaps with other injuries, such as financial harm from release of medical information. She said the FTC needs to further understand when informational injuries require intervention. She said the privacy and data security workshop will seek to better identify consumer injuries, explore frameworks for quantitatively measuring injuries and estimating risks, and understand how parties evaluate the tradeoffs to sharing, collecting, storing and using information. Responding to questions afterward, Ohlhausen said communications "silos" are breaking down, with IoT a "fantastic example" of technology implicating FTC privacy and other authority. Despite having two commissioners, the FTC is being productive, she said: "Commissioner [Terrell] McSweeny and I work together very well." Ohlhausen welcomed FCC robocalling actions and is "excited" about connected and automated car technology, recognizing privacy and data security concerns.
Three trade groups criticized FCC Connect America Fund Phase II auction plans as "so inordinately complex that they will deter many potential bidders from participating" in the reverse auction of subsidies for fixed broadband services. "While these complex mechanisms may be intended to promote efficient auction outcomes among bidders, this intended benefit will be substantially undercut by diminished participation, especially from smaller providers," said the American Cable Association, NTCA and Wireless ISP Association Friday in docket 17-182. "This will leave only the nation’s largest eligible providers to divide up the funds," said the groups, which planned to file separate comments due Monday on a public notice on proposed auction procedures (see 1708070032). "With fewer auction participants, bids will be won at higher than optimal prices, and fewer consumers will reap the benefits intended by the CAF Phase II program." They urged the FCC "to design an auction and adopt procedures that can stimulate the robust participation, especially by smaller entities," and to "provide smaller entities with greater opportunities to use auction experts."
Correction: The group that obtained net neutrality complaints from the FCC is the National Hispanic Media Coalition (see 1709150031).
Nokia added its voice to the growing chorus of handset makers that oppose a possible FCC mandate for ATSC 3.0 reception in smartphones, though the commission hasn't proposed one. “Such a mandate would present technical challenges and disserve the public interest,” said Nokia in a letter posted Friday in docket 16-142. Nokia, which sold its smartphone business to Microsoft, joins Ericsson and Motorola in arguing that 3.0 reception in smartphones is a bad idea because it would require handset form-factor changes that consumers would reject or would degrade cellular coverage performance (see 1709150039 and 1709130050). T-Mobile was the first to cite its opposition, alleging Sinclair is oversimplifying the complexities of building 3.0 into smartphones, and a mandate wouldn't serve the public interest (see 1709120020). Sinclair denies seeking a mandate but said overcoming complexities of 3.0 in smartphones is a worthy challenge. The FCC has a self-imposed deadline of a 2017 order authorizing 3.0 as a final voluntary standard (see 1702230060). Nokia is “actively working with several carriers to supply equipment for expeditious deployment of networks” supporting the 600 MHz band, the company wrote. For smartphones to receive 3.0, they would need to operate at “additional frequencies, possibly as low as 470 MHz,” Nokia said. If the same antenna is used to receive 3.0 signals in the 470-608 MHz band in addition to the 600 MHz band, “antenna performance is likely to degrade,” it said. “This antenna performance degradation can directly translate into significant loss in the coverage benefit typically provided by these lower frequencies.” Whatever “limited physical space” exists in a smartphone “should be available for more valuable uses than ATSC 3.0,” such as MIMO operation, for which there exists “very valid business justification,” said the company. “A new antenna design” will be needed, it said. “The ATSC 3.0 chip will also need to be accommodated on the device next to the cellular circuitry. The ATSC 3.0 receiver chain will need to be isolated from the cellular receiver chain to mitigate any interference issues.”
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn visited Florida Monday to inspect damage from Hurricane Irma. The trip included a meeting with Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center staff and visits to communication facilities affected by the storm. “Lessons learned from #Irma will help improve the #reliability and #resiliency of our nation's communications networks,” Clyburn tweeted. Pai will visit 911 call centers in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas later in the week “to discuss the importance of connectivity for public safety services in rural America and ways to bridge the digital divide,” a media advisory said. TV viewership in Texas homes unaffected by Tropical Storm Harvey rose Aug. 27 as it approached the coast and flooding began, comScore reported. “This difference was most pronounced in the morning and early afternoon hours, but continued to be evident throughout the entire day." The combined total-day average audience for Houston’s ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates was more than 537,000 households during Harvey, comScore said, a 140 percent increase over the previous week. In Beaumont, major TV stations had an average audience “double that of the relevant cable channels across the entire broadcast day,” the company said. Four Florida public safety answering points are still down due to Irma, same as Sunday, said Monday’s Disaster Information Reporting System release. Two PSAPs are still experiencing difficulties in the U.S. Virgin Islands, also unchanged. In Florida, 3 percent of cellsites are down, an improvement from 4 percent. In the USVI, 54 percent of cellsites are out of service, an increase from 50 percent. Florida has at least 893,409 wireline and cable subscribers without service, an improvement from 1.1 million. “Large numbers” of consumers are without cable or wireline service in the USVI due to widespread power outages, the report said. Florida has five TV stations out, the USVI have two down, same as Sunday. Twenty-seven radio stations are out of service in Florida and the USVI.